MMDA opens high-tech flood control center

At the headquarters of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) is a new “state-of the-art” center that MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino hopes they won’t ever get to use.

“With these combined technological facilities, my only prayer is that we don’t use these at all. May we be spared from disasters, strong typhoons and other calamities,” said Tolentino at the inauguration Wednesday of the Flood Control Information Center (FCIC).

The FCIC, nerve center of the agency’s flood control and disaster-related operations, is the source of crucial information needed to make policy decisions in times of crisis.

It is equipped with 16 LCD monitors connected to 70 closed circuit television cameras installed in key Metro Manila intersections, flood-prone areas and pumping stations.

Office of Civil Defense Undersecretary Benito Ramos, who saw the center for the first time, expressed his admiration for the setup, saying that the mobilization of resources during emergencies would now be more efficient.

“This would help us make informed decisions since Metro Manila is the seat of the national government,” Ramos told reporters.

Tolentino said the new system was an improvement from their previous flood-control and monitoring efforts when the MMDA relied only on reports forwarded by other government agencies.

The center will tap the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) and other international satellite-based weather monitoring services, and utilize the Incident Management and Map Navigation Software developed by Condoza Software Solutions Corp.

The software, which was offered free on the first year of the center’s operations, will collate information on floods and other disasters.

It has a floor map of Metro Manila and outlying waterways that will help trace communities that would be affected when water systems overflow.

“It’s a decision support system especially for emergencies. It collects all information regarding floods and operating systems, especially our pumping stations,” said Ramon Santiago, head of the MMDA FPIC.

Santiago said the center will be able to gather information from Pagasa and critical areas “so we can plot incidents, the corresponding response and what further measures we need to do.”

Through the software, Tolentino said the information generated in the center will eventually be made available to local government units in Metro Manila and the public to guide them on what to do during emergencies.

Operating on a 24-hour-basis, the center will also relay information about fire and crime incidents to the National Capital Regional Police Office and the Bureau of Fire Protection to speed up their response to the situations.

The initial cost of setting up the center was P500,000, according to Tolentino.

“We can easily spot the root cause of our problems, even potholes that cause heavy traffic, apart from saving lives,” Tolentino said.